The Catholic Foundation

What The Catholic Foundation does

The Catholic Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization incorporated in 1991 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, that functions as the exclusive endowment-management and philanthropic-services arm of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. It serves individual Catholic donors, parishes, schools, and affiliated nonprofit organizations across Northern New Mexico by administering permanent endowments, donor-advised funds, charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, and IRA charitable rollovers, with all invested assets managed under US Conference of Catholic Bishops Socially Responsible Investment Guidelines. The Foundation operates with approximately 12 staff, no proprietary technology stack, and a board of volunteer trustees representing regions of the Archdiocese.

The Foundation's programs span a competitive annual grant cycle (small grants up to $10,000; large grants $10,001–$25,000) distributing funds across five categories — faith formation, Catholic education, capital improvements, historic preservation, and human services — alongside scholarship administration for multiple endowed funds including the $50,000 annual Phillip J. Maloof Scholarship, the Archbishop's School Fund, and the Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan Scholarship Fund. The Catholic Award for Teachers recognition program (established 1998) awards $2,000 to outstanding Catholic-school teachers and $100 to their school's endowment annually. The Regional Council Initiative extends grant-making into rural parishes through community-led review, and a Professional Advisors Group network (including Cardinal Trust, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management, RetireSmartNM, and Zia Trust) channels estate-planning referrals into the Foundation's planned-giving vehicles. Supporting tools include free grant-writing workshops, an annual Grant Awards Luncheon, and the third-party GrantInterface grant portal plus FACTS.com for scholarships.

The Foundation's revenue mechanics are contribution-driven rather than fee-based: no fees are charged to donors establishing endowments, and operating capacity is funded through contributions, endowment returns, and the spread on managed assets, with Pulakos CPAs preparing audited financials and AndCo Consulting providing independent investment advice. Since 1991 it has distributed over $41 million, established over 200 endowments, and serves over 100 organizations receiving annual designated distributions. In its 2025 cycle the Foundation awarded $788,651 across 68 grants — the largest single-year award in its history, versus nearly $600,000 in 2024 — while annual designated endowment distributions to 100+ grantee organizations exceed $1.4 million.

Name

The Catholic Foundation

Legal name

The Catholic Foundation of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe

Website

https://thecatholicfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Catholic Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit endowment manager serving Catholic donors, parishes, schools, and nonprofits across the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, administering permanent endowments, competitive grants, scholarships, and planned-giving vehicles under USCCB socially responsible investment guidelines.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Endowment Management

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Religious Organizations (8131)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) Sponsors (BPAGAKAF), Major Gifts, Planned Giving & Endowment Development (EDALAOAC), Fundraising & Annual Giving (EDALAOAB), Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Charitable endowment management
• Planned giving services
• Catholic grant programs
• Scholarship fund administration
• Donor advised funds

Headquarters

HQ city

Albuquerque

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Endowment Management and Distribution Services: The Foundation manages endowments for donors and distributes investment earnings to designated beneficiaries. They charge no explicit fees mentioned, but generate revenue through the spread and investment returns on permanently restricted and unrestricted endowment assets.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Catholic Foundation gathers, manages, and distributes charitable assets to promote the work of the Catholic Church within the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. It accepts donations and establishes permanent endowments, invests those funds under USCCB-aligned socially responsible guidelines, distributes investment earnings to designated parishes, schools, and Catholic nonprofits, and runs competitive grant cycles and scholarship programs. It also offers planned giving vehicles (Donor Advised Funds, Charitable Gift Annuities, Charitable Remainder Trusts, IRA rollovers, Legacy League bequests) for individual Catholic donors.

Product overview

The Catholic Foundation operates as a charitable endowment management organization serving the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. Its core offering is a comprehensive philanthropic services platform comprising competitive grant programs (small and large grants in five categories), scholarship management (multiple endowed funds including the $50,000 annual Phillip J. Maloof Scholarship), and planned giving vehicles (Legacy League, Donor Advised Funds, Gift Annuities, Charitable Remainder Trusts, IRA transfers). Supporting programs include the Catholic Award for Teachers recognition program, Regional Council Initiative for rural community engagement, and a Professional Advisors Group network. All investments follow USCCB Socially Responsible Investment Guidelines. The organization distributes over $750,000 annually in grants and manages 200+ endowments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Competitive Grant Program Annual competitive grant program distributing funds from unrestricted and field-of-interest endowments to Catholic parishes, schools, and non-profits in five categories (faith formation, Catholic education, capital improvements, historic preservation, human services). Small Grants up to $10,000; Large Grants $10,001 to $25,000.
• Scholarships Manages multiple endowed scholarship funds providing tuition assistance for Catholic education, including the Phillip J. Maloof Scholarship Fund ($50,000 annually), Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan Scholarship Fund, Ernestine & Ivy Frank Farrar Jr. Scholarship Fund, Gene and Kathie Leyendecker Scholarship Fund, and the Archbishop's School Fund. Applications processed through FACTS.com.
• Catholic Award for Teachers (CAT) Awards $2,000 to outstanding Catholic school teachers and $100 to their school's endowment annually, recognizing teaching excellence across the Archdiocese of Santa Fe.
• Regional Council Initiative Community engagement process connecting under-resourced rural communities with capital through community-led grant review and program development, ensuring equitable assessment of grant requests from rural parishes in NW, NE, SE, and SW regions of the Archdiocese.
• Legacy League Planned giving recognition program where donors include The Catholic Foundation in their wills or trusts, becoming members during their lifetimes with recognition of their commitment to supporting the Foundation's mission in perpetuity.
• Donor Advised Funds Allows donors to start a fund (minimum $5,000) with multiple charitable interests, providing immediate tax deductions and flexibility to direct distributions to charities of choice at any time, as an alternative to establishing a private foundation.
• Gift Annuities / Charitable Remainder Trusts (CRTs) Charitable gift annuities provide fixed lifetime payments to donors with charitable income tax deductions. Charitable Remainder Trusts help avoid capital gains tax on appreciated assets and generate regular income, with remainder passing to the Foundation.
• IRA Required Minimum Distribution Allows donors aged 72+ to satisfy minimum required distributions from traditional IRAs through direct transfers to qualified charities, providing income tax-free gifts.
• Endowments Permanent funds holding principal in perpetuity and invested for specific purposes. Offers designated funds (for specific organizations), donor-advised funds, field-of-interest funds, and unrestricted funds, all managed in accordance with USCCB socially responsible investment guidelines.
• Professional Advisors Group Network connecting donors with estate planning lawyers, financial planners, insurance professionals, accountants, and trust officers to assist with wills, taxes, and complex gifts aligned with Catholic values. Includes Cardinal Trust, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management, RetireSmartNM, and Zia Trust.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $41 million distributed to Catholic community over 35+ years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AndCo ConsultingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent investment consulting firm providing recommendations on asset allocation, diversification, risk controls, and investment policies for Foundation endowments. AndCo does not receive fees from any investment managers.
• Pulakos CPAsminorOthersPrepares audited financial statements for the Foundation.
• Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational anti-poverty program of US Catholic Bishops providing matching grants for economic development programs. Matching grants up to $7,000 that double the Foundation's award. Collaboration started in 2016-2017 with $56,000 in combined grants to Mora and Pena Blanca.
• Professional Advisors Group MemberscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of trust officers, attorneys, financial advisors, insurance professionals, and accountants who provide estate planning services to clients and refer them to Foundation for planned giving. Includes Cardinal Trust, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management, RetireSmartNM, and Zia Trust.
• Cornerstones Community PartnershipsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric preservation organization receiving grants for restoration projects. Awarded $7,000 for tapestry restoration at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Villanueva.
• Sandia ResortminorOthersVenue partner for annual Grant Awards Luncheon events.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Albuquerque Community Foundation: Community foundation serving central New Mexico including Albuquerque. Same city headquarters as the Catholic Foundation; offers donor-advised funds, endowments, and grants but with a secular community focus rather than Catholic-specific mission.
• New Mexico Foundation: A statewide community foundation serving all of New Mexico with donor-advised funds, endowments, and competitive grants. Geographic peer operating in the same state, but secular and broader in mission than the Catholic-only focus of the subject company.

Broad incumbents

• Catholic Charities USA: National umbrella for Catholic Charities agencies providing human services, disaster relief, and advocacy. Overlapping Catholic identity and donor base but focuses on direct service delivery rather than endowment/grant administration.
• Fidelity Charitable: Largest national donor-advised fund sponsor; competes for the same planned-giving and DAF dollars that The Catholic Foundation targets. Operates at massive scale with secular and religious donors across the U.S.
• Schwab Charitable: Major national donor-advised fund sponsor affiliated with Charles Schwab. Comparable DAF product offering and target audience (wealthy donors seeking tax-advantaged giving), though operates at significantly larger scale and outside a religious framework.

Direct peers

• National Catholic Community Foundation (NCCF): National Catholic donor-advised fund sponsor offering pooled investment funds and grantmaking to Catholic and other qualified charities. Comparable as a Catholic-aligned DAF and endowment sponsor, but operates nationally rather than within a single archdiocese.
• Catholic Foundation of the Archdiocese of Dubuque: A diocesan Catholic foundation providing endowments, scholarships, and grant funding for parishes and schools in eastern Iowa. Operates the same archdiocese-aligned foundation model with similar product mix.
• The Catholic Foundation of Greater Philadelphia: Catholic foundation serving the Archdiocese of Philadelphia with endowment management, planned giving, and grant programs. Same core business model of stewarding Catholic charitable assets across an archdiocese, though at a meaningfully larger scale.
• Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota: A Catholic-focused community foundation serving the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. Direct comparable: same endowment management, donor-advised funds, planned giving, and competitive grants model aimed at parishes, schools, and ministries within a defined Catholic geography.

Others

• AndCo Consulting: Independent investment consulting firm that serves as a strategic partner to the Catholic Foundation for endowment asset allocation. An ecosystem enabler rather than direct competitor, but provides a relevant point of comparison for foundation operating infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-catholic-foundation-archdiocese-of-santa-fe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Catholic Foundation